Khalistan supporter Dhillon dies in US

Chandigarh: Khalistan protagonist Ganga Singh Dhillon’s wish to pay obeisance at the Golden Temple remained unfulfilled. He passed away in Washington DC on Tuesday. His body will be cremated tomorrow.

Hailing from Bassi Pathana near Fatehgarh Sahib, Dhillon (86) migrated to the US in 1960. In 1980s, he became a Khalistan supporter. He was “black-listed” by the Indian government. He approached his friends in India several times, pleading that his name be removed from the list and he be allowed to visit India, but in vain. Dhillon did his matriculation from Guru Nanak Khalsa High School, Nankana Sahib. His father Kahan Singh Dhillon took part in the country’s freedom movement. His family moved to Bassi Pathana from Chak No.18, Sheikhupura (now in Pakistan ), in 1947. With leanings towards the Left ideology, Dhillon later became close to Simranjit Singh Mann’s father, the late Joginder Singh Mann.

Ganga Singh’s controversial speech at the All-India Sikh Education Conference in 1980s, put him in a direct confrontation with the Indian government. At that conference, he stated that “Sikhs are a nation having a separate identity, history and culture”. He frequently visited Pakistan and was close to the late Zia-ul-Haq, who was President of Pakistan from 1978 to 1988.